The Char Dham ('the four abodes/seats') is the most important Hindu pilgrimage circuit in the Indian Himalayas. Located in the Garhwal section of the state of Uttarakhand (formerly the northwestern section of Uttar Pradesh), the circuit consists of four sites—Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath. While each site in the circuit has an autonomous history and significance that predates and remains distinct from their status as a circuit, inclusion in the Char Dham has, over time, caused them be viewed together in popular imagination and actual pilgrimage practice. This article discusses the adherents of Hinduism. ... Perspective view of the Himalaya and Mount Everest as seen from space looking south-south-east from over the Tibetan Plateau. ... Garhwal, or Gurwal, is a region and administrative division of Uttaranchal state, India, lying in the Himalayas. ... Uttarakhand (Hindi: उत्तराखंड), known as Uttaranchal from 2000 to 2006, became the 27th state of the Republic of India on November 9, 2000. ... Uttar Pradesh (Hindi: , Urdu: ‎, translation: Northern Province, IPA: ,  ), also popularly known by its abbreviation U.P., is the most populous and fifth largest state in the Republic of India. ... The Shrine of Yamunotri, source of river Yamuna is situated in the direction opposite to Gangotri (source of the Ganges). ... --152. ... The Kedarnath temple Kedarnath is a Hindu holy town located in the the Indian state of Uttarakhand. ... , Badrinath is a Hindu holy town and a nagar panchayat in Chamoli district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. ...

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Char Dham

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Origins

The origins of the Char Dham are obscure. The appellation Char Dham used to be reserved for India's most famous pilgrimage circuit, four important temples—Puri, Rameshwaram, Dwarka, and Badrinath—grouped together by the great 8th century reformer and philosopher Shankaracharya (Adi Sankara), into the archetypal All-India pilgrimage circuit to the four cardinal points of the subcontinent. At some point, Badrinath, the last visited and the most important of the four sites in the original Char Dham, also became the cornerstone site of a Himalayan pilgrimage circuit dubbed the Chota (little) Char Dham. Unlike the original Char Dham, the sites of the Chota Char Dham do not share a single sectarian affiliation. Instead, the three major sectarian movements in modern devotional Hinduism all have representation, with the Vaishnava site Badrinath joined by one Shaiva site (Kedarnath) and two Devi sites (Yamunotri and Gangotri). Puri is a city in the Indian state of Orissa. ... Rameswaram is a town in the southern part of India in the state of Tamil Nadu. ... Dwarka   is a city and a municipality in Jamnagar district in the state of Gujarat, India. ... , Badrinath is a Hindu holy town and a nagar panchayat in Chamoli district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. ... Sri Adi Sankara Adi Shankaracharya or Adi Shankara (the first Shankara in his lineage), reverentially called Bhagavatpada Acharya (the teacher at the feet of Lord), Shankara (approximately 509- 477 BC (though some claim 788-820 CE)) was the most famous Advaita philosopher who had a profound influence on the growth... Vaishnavism is the branch of Hinduism in which Vishnu or one of his avatars (i. ... Åšaivism, also transliterated Shaivism and Saivism, is a branch of Hinduism that worships Siva as the Supreme God. ... The Kedarnath temple Kedarnath is a Hindu holy town located in the the Indian state of Uttarakhand. ... Commonly known as Devi (goddess), Vaishnodevi (देवी, DevÄ« in Hindi and Sanskrit) is the Divine Mother of Hinduism. ... The Shrine of Yamunotri, source of river Yamuna is situated in the direction opposite to Gangotri (source of the Ganges). ... --152. ...

As late as the mid-twentieth century, the "Chota" designation was still used consistently to delineate the Himalayan version of the Char Dham. This usage probably reflects the relative importance of the circuit for most of its history. Accessible until recent times only after a two-month trek that repeatedly exceeds 4000 meters, the Chota Char Dham was long dominated by wandering ascetics and religious professionals, along with a handful of devoted retirees and wealthy patrons (who could afford an entourage). While the individual sites and the circuit as a whole were important to Hindus on the plains below, they were not a particularly visible aspect of yearly religious culture. After the 1962 war between India and China, however, accessibility to the Chota Char Dham improved drastically, as India's short-lived efforts at Himalayan expansionism required massive infrastructure investments. As pilgrim buses began to arrive, the Chota appendix seems to have dropped away, though the prefix "Himalayan" (Hindi: Himalaya ki Char Dham) is sometimes still added to avoid confusion. Combatants Peoples Republic of China India Commanders Zhang Guohua[4] B.M. Kaul Strength 80,000[5][6] Casualties Killed: 1460[7] None captured[8][9][10][11] Wounded 1,697[7] Killed 1,383 Missing 1,696 Captured 3,968[2] Wounded 1,047[12] The Sino-Indian...

With infrastructure improvements, the importance of the Char Dham as both an actual destination and an object of the national Hindu religious imagination has increased significantly. Buoyed by the development of new forms of bourgeois "religious tourism" and by the rise of a conservative Hindu population compelled by sites that speak to the existence of an all-India Hindu culture, the Char Dham has become an important destination for pilgrims from throughout South Asia and the diaspora, particularly Bengalis, Marwaris, Gujaratis, Delhites- and people from U.P, and of course citizens of Uttarakhand. Today, the Char Dham sees upwards of 250,000 unique visitors in an average pilgrimage season, which lasts from approximately April 15 until Diwali (sometime in November). The season is heaviest in the two-month period before the monsoon. Once the rains come (sometime in late July), travel is extremely dangerous: extensive road building has critically destabilized the rocks, and fatal landslides and bus/jeep accidents are a regular yearly occurrence, with mortality rates for a season often surpassing 200. Despite the danger, pilgrims do continue to visit the Char Dham in the monsoon period, as well as after the rains end. Although temperatures at the shrines in the early winter months (October and November) are inhospitable, it is said that the incredible mountain scenery that surrounds the sites is most vivid after the rains have had a chance to moisten the dust of the plains below. This article is about the geopolitical region in Asia. ... The Bengali people are the ethnic community from Bengal (divided between India and Bangladesh) on the Indian subcontinent with a history dating back four millennia. ... The Marwari (also variously Marvari, Marwadi, Marvadi) is a language originating in the Western Indian state of Rajasthan, but is also found in the neighboring state of Gujarat and in Eastern Pakistan. ... The Gujarati people, or Gujaratis, is an umbrella term used to describe traditionally Gujarati speaking peoples who can trace their ancestry to the Gujarat region in India. ... Delhi   (Hindi: , Urdu: , Punjabi: ), sometimes refered to as Dilli, is the second-largest metropolis in India after Mumbai with a population of 13 million. ... Uttar Pradesh (Hindi: , Urdu: ‎, translation: Northern Province, IPA: ,  ), also popularly known by its abbreviation U.P., is the most populous and fifth largest state in the Republic of India. ... Uttarakhand (Hindi: उत्तराखंड), known as Uttaranchal from 2000 to 2006, became the 27th state of the Republic of India on November 9, 2000. ... Deepavali, also called Diwali or Divali, is a major Hindu festival that is very significant in Hinduism, Sikhism and Jainism. ...

Pilgrimage centers

Most pilgrims to the Char Dham embark from the famous temple town of Haridwar. Others leave from Haridwar's sister city, Rishikesh, or from Dehra Duhn, the capital of Uttarakhand. From there, the tradition is to visit the sites in the following order: Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ...

1. Yamunotri, the source of the Yamuna River and the seat of the goddess Yamuna, is a full day's journey from Rishikesh, Haridwar or Dehradun. The actual temple is only accessible by a six km walk from the town of Hanuman Chatti (horses or palanquins are available for rent). The current temple is of recent origin, as past iterations have been destroyed by the weather and elements. Lodging at the temple itself is limited to a few small ashrams and guesthouses. Ritual duties such as the making and distribution of prasad (sanctified offerings) and the supervision of pujas (ritual venerations) are performed by the Uniyal family of pujaris (priests). Unique aspects of ritual practice at the site include hot springs where raw rice is cooked and made into prasad.
2. Gangotri, the source of the Ganga (Ganges) River and seat of the goddess Ganga, can be reached in one day's travel from Rishikesh, Haridwar or Dehra Duhn, or in two days from Yamunotri. More popular and important than its sister site to the east, Gangotri is also accessible directly by car and bus, meaning that it sees many more pilgrims. A small village of guesthouses and restaurants serves the pilgrim community. Ritual duties are supervised by the Semwal family of pujaris. The aarti ceremony at the Gangotri is especially impressive, as is the temple, a stately affair that sits on the banks of the rushing Ganga (Ganges River). Adventurous pilgrims can make an overnight 17 km trek to Gaumukh, the actual current source of the Ganga.
3. Kedarnath, where a form of the Hindu god Shiva is venerated as one of the twelve jyotirling (linga of light), is a two-day's journey from either Gangotri or one of the main disembarkation points on the plains. Besides its affiliation with Siva, Kedarnath is also believed to be the site of Shankaracharya's samadhi (place of enternment). The actual temple, an impressive stone edifice of unknown date, is accessible only after a steep 13 km walk (horses or palanquins are available for rent). The most remote of the four Char Dham sites, Kedarnath is flanked by breathtaking snow-capped peaks. No specific family of pujaris supervises rituals at Kedarnath, which focus around veneration of the stone lingam that rests in the inner sanctum of the temple.
4. Badrinath, the seat of the Hindu god Vishnu in his aspect of Badrinarayan, is generally a two-day's journey from either Kedarnath or one of the main disembarkation points on the plains. By far the most important of the four Char Dham sites, Badrinath receives many more visitors than the other three sites. As the route to Badrinath is for much of the way also the route to Hemkund Sahib, an important Sikh pilgrimage site, the road to Badrinath is especially crowded. The temple and its substantial surrounding village are accessible by road. The actual temple is a striking building whose bright colors evoke the painted Buddhist ghompas of the region; rumor has it that the temple was originally controlled by Buddhists.

The Shrine of Yamunotri, source of river Yamuna is situated in the direction opposite to Gangotri (source of the Ganges). ... Not to be confused with Jamuna River. ... River Ganges in Rishikesh Rishikesh (also spelled Hrishikesh) (Hindi: )is a city and a municipal board in Dehradun district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. ... Dehradun (Hindi: देहरादून)  , also sometimes spelled Dehra Doon, is the provisional capital city of the Uttarakhand state (earlier called Uttaranchal) in India, and the headquarters of Dehradun District. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A puja as performed in Ujjain during the Monsoon on the banks of the overflowing river Shipra. ... --152. ... This article is about the river. ... River Ganges in Rishikesh Rishikesh (also spelled Hrishikesh) (Hindi: )is a city and a municipal board in Dehradun district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. ... The Kedarnath temple Kedarnath is a Hindu holy town located in the the Indian state of Uttarakhand. ... This article is about the deity Shiva. ... A Jyotirling or Jyotirlinga or Jyotirlingam is a shrine where the Hindu God Shiva is worshipped in the form of a Jyotirlingam or Linga of light. ... Linga worship (Estate of Cynthia and Harlen Welsh) Lingam or Linga is the Sanskrit word for mark. ... Shankaracharya, (IAST: Åšankarāchārya) is a commonly used title of heads of maÅ£has (monasteries) in the Advaita tradition. ... , Badrinath is a Hindu holy town and a nagar panchayat in Chamoli district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. ... Vishnu (IAST , Devanagari ), (honorific: Sri Vishnu) also known as Narayana is the Supreme Being or Ultimate Reality for Vaishnavas and a manifestation of Brahman in the Advaita or Smarta traditions. ... Hemkund Sahib, with a spectacular setting of a glacial lake surrounded by seven peaks, is a popular pilgrimage site for Sikhs. ... This article or section cites very few or no references or sources. ...

External links

• Uttarakhand Information Centre

References